Father, and God the Holy Ghost, all the angels in heaven, and all the saints upon earth, are on your side while you are seeking him; and, as for me, my dearly beloved, the language of my heart and soul, and every prayer of mine, is and shall be,

Good success in the name of the Lord.

LETTER IX.

TO THE SPARROW ALONE.

W.H. S.S.

Dearly beloved of God,

My last epistle was pregnant with the disagreeable entanglements of the litigious, and of the windings and turnings of a crooked generation; but, by the goodness of my God, I escaped with both my coat and my cloke.

I must now prepare my stuff for removing. For some few years before I was married all my personal effects used to be carried in my hand, or on my shoulders, in one or two large handkerchiefs; but, after marriage, for some few years, I used to carry all the goods that we had gotten on my shoulders in a large sack. But, when we moved from Thames Ditton to London, we

loaded two large carts with furniture and other necessaries, besides a post-chaise well filled with children and cats. But at this time God had given me such treasure in my sack, that it was increased to a multitude: we were almost a fortnight in getting away the stuff. The many things on the premises which I had to purchase, and the expenses that would attend my moving, together with rent for both houses for some time to come, had previously exercised my mind not a little. And you know that I have always kept Clearmarket, but never did any business at the Stocksmarket in my life; so that I could not look there for any supply. But I looked to the market in Honey-lane; for his word has often been sweeter to me than honey or the honeycomb, for it contains the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come; and here I never sought, I never looked, I never prayed, in vain. God raised up a most invaluable friend, who richly supplied me, and has long ministered to my necessities. But the trouble of moving drove me quite out of my element; it interrupted my peace, scattered my thoughts, and prevented all meditation. The door of hope seemed to be off the hooks, and the best members of the new man out of joint. I appeared quite unfurnished for the pulpit, and my mind too unsettled for any one branch of my delightful labour. "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life," says Paul; and sad entanglements are all worldly con

VOL. III.

cerns to a spiritual soldier. But if this world, and the domestic concerns of it, are a burden, and not a pleasure; a vanity, and not a substance; a vexation, and not a delight; a rival, and not a real lover; we must of course be crucified to it, and alive to him that was crucified in it.

Being in some measure settled in my new habitation, I watched, and sought, and felt, after that Friend that loveth at all times; and, blessed be his revered name, I found him. If I had failed in this I had been undone; for he is our dwelling place in all generations; and sensible sinners have no sure dwelling nor quiet resting place but this. But now many cares came on me. I was five miles from my chapel, and a cold winter was coming on; and how to get my family so far to the house of God was my chief concern. A person of Streatham, in Surry, had made me a present of a little sorrel horse, which is a most excellent creature, and would carry me very well; but how to get a large family there was the difficulty. A man and his wife, whom I had been for some years acquainted with at Streatham, and who had managed a farm for a gentleman there, had been for some time before this out of employ, through the gentleman's letting his farm. I had spoken to two friends in London about joining with me in taking a farm, and putting him into it to manage it for us, for the sake of a dairy, &c. to supply our three families; but we could not hear of any such thing near town that would do for that purpose...

The man and his wife therefore took a coal shed, and dealt in green-grocery, &c. &c. But I found, by inquiry, that their business was not likely to answer, and therefore I sent for the man to come to me; and he and his wife agreed to come, she to attend to my baking and dairy, and he to the business of the land. And here God granted me my request in a way that I did not expect; for being long acquainted with them, and they being fond of my ministry, I did not like to see them scattered from it. I had got one old cart horse that I had bought with the rest of the stock on the farm, and I wanted two more, but money run short; and I determined also to have a large tilted cart to take my family to chapel, and the man should drive it on the Sunday, and on lecture nights, and I would ride my little horse. This was the most eligible plan that I could adopt; and on this I determined as soon as God should send money to procure them. them. I came to this conclusion on a Friday, and on the next day, toward evening, came two or three friends from town to see me. I wondered not a little at their coming, as they know that on a Saturday I never like to see any body; and therefore I conceived that they must be come with some heavy tidings; some friend was dead, or something bad had happened. But they came to inform me that some friends had agreed among themselves and bought me a coach and a pair of horses, which they intended to make me a present of. I informed them that the assessed

up

for my

taxes ran so high that I should not be able to keep it. But they stopped my mouth by informing me, that the money for paying the taxes for the coach and horses was subscribed also; so that nothing lay upon me but the keep of the horses. Thus, instead of being at the expence of a tilted cart, God sent me a coach without cost, and two horses without my purchasing them; and which, with my other old horse, would do the work of the farm, as well as the work of the coach; and my bailiff informed me that he could drive it, having formerly drove one. Thus was I set up. But at this time the pocket was bare, and many things were wanting, both in the house and on the farm, and a place to fit bailiff and dairy woman to live in. And it was but a few days afterward before a gentleman out of the country called upon me; and, being up in my study with me, he said, My friend, I often told you that you would keep your coach before you died, and I always promised that whenever you had a coach I would give you a pair of horses, and I will not be worse than my word. I have inquired of father Green, and he tells me that the horses cost forty five pounds; and there is the money.' In a day or two after the coach, horses, and harness, came. And, having now a little money, I wrote to a friend in the country to send me twelve ewes, and a male with them; and they sent me twelve excellent ones, and the male with them, but would not be paid for them; they were a present to the farm.